The Earth’s Beating Heart - Olivia Edwards

Everything in this world is alive, from the wind in your hair to the grass at your feet; the whole world is full of life. The earth itself is one capsule containing life within it. From the very beginning of time, before the humans and the animals walked the earth, the world stood strong and alive just waiting for the moment that the great creator would breathe more life into the empty world. The grass still grew, the trees still bore fruit and the water still flowed.

At the centre of the world was the waterfall. Everything has a heartbeat; we know this to be true. The waterfall is the heartbeat of the the world. Its loud crashing water and powerful whirlpools are a symbol of life, strength and power, which is why when our boys become men they must prove their worth by surviving the throng of the waterfall and fighting against the currents of the flowing rivers that connect the pools. Women use the rivers and pools for washing and men catch the fish that swim within them. The waterfall gives us more than just water. It feeds the plants and whets the mouths of thirsty children and animals.

The waterfall gives us and the whole world life. When the world stops raining, the heartbeat of the waterfall becomes weak. Its loud crashing of water becomes a mere trickle. This is the world’s way of telling us it is ill. We must fight to protect the heartbeat; keep the water flowing strong. For once the water stops flowing, the heart stops beating.